With Earth Day on the way, it’s a good time to pay attention to products you use every day, how they are made and their effect on your body.

Three local eco-conscious independent beauty company owners making such things as shampoo, hand cream, lip balm and even cosmetics like eyeliner and concealer include Amanda Hume, Kimberly Heathman and Kathryn Murray Dickinson.

“Natural and organic beauty products are becoming more and more popular, especially when people start to research what the ingredients are that go into the products they are using,” says Hume, owner of Highland-based organic beauty boutique Vert Beauty.

“People are sick and tired of being sick and tired,” adds Dickinson, founder of Aillea Beauty in Larimer Square. Using natural products is one of the first and most direct steps to reclaiming our wellness, and I think Colorado and Denver is at the forefront of that movement.”

Vert Beauty

Colorado conscious: “I feel like people in Colorado are very eco-savvy and very aware of what they are putting in and on their bodies,” says Hume.

The lines: “Everything is handpicked based on the purity of its contents, the quality of its performance and the environmental sustainability of its manufacturer,” she says. “We currently have 35 brands to choose from, and we are always adding more.”

In the works: “I have been working on my makeup line for a few years now,” Hume says. “I wanted to create something that was missing in the market. These are products I cannot live without, that are pure with true staying power. We launched half of our makeup line last month including concealer pencils and eyeliner infused with anti-aging mango and meadowfoam seed oils.” Cream compact foundations and lip stains will launch this summer, she says.

Aillea

Who: Kathryn Murray Dickinson, founder of Aillea beauty boutique and former VP of marketing and sales for a beauty brand in New York.

The line: A collection of eco-friendly and organic beauty brands free of sulfates, parabens and petrochemicals, and none were tested on animals.

Where it started: “My passion for clean beauty didn’t start until I had my own health problems 9 years ago,” says Dickinson. “I was getting very sick, and the doctors didn’t know why. I finally discovered I had food allergies. One day in the shower, I started reading the ingredients in my shampoo and was floored at the garbage I was putting on and in my body. I looked around my bathroom and decided to get rid of everything bad and replace it with something that works as well or better. I realized that there was a huge need for a store like Aillea where people could shop all of the brands.”

Skin-care standouts: Among the boutique’s top products are Ilia Vivid Foundation with healing botanicals including green tea and rosemary extracts to calm and revitalize the skin; Indie Lee Squalane facial oil made with pure, olive-derived squalane oil to help boost cell regeneration; and Suki exfoliating foaming facial cleanser to combat fine lines and wrinkles.

Colorado conscious: “Natural products are now the mainstream expectation from consumers, especially with Coloradans who are innately focused on nature and the environment,” says Heathman.

Where it started: “Over 15 years ago, MyChelle developed products based on the demand for skin care that was active enough for professional and visible results for use in spas and clinics, something that was not available for concerned consumers and estheticians looking for safe, effective skin are,” Heathman says.

Giving back: This year, MyChelle will donate 1 percent of the proceeds from the sales of sun care products to the Surfrider Foundation, a non-profit organization dedicated to the protection and enjoyment of the world’s ocean, waves, and beaches.

Dear Amy: My grandfather is well-off. He saved and spent very little throughout his life. For many years, he has promised my mother and me that we would receive a sizable inheritance. My grandmother died several years ago, and we are the only close family members he has left.